Citizens Group Applauds Presiden’s Decision on CO2

Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE) today praised President Bush for determining that carbon dioxide (CO2) should not be regulated as a pollutant under the Clean Air Act. “With this decision, President Bush has reaffirmed his commitment to common-sense environmental policies that are focused on addressing real threats to public health,” Said Patrick Burns, CSE’s Environmental Policy Director.

The administration had been considering regulating emissions of CO2 from electric utilities as part of a “four-pollutant” strategy. Noted Burns, “Designating CO2 a ‘pollutant’ would have opened the floodgates to regulation throughout the entire economy, and every industrial sector – not just electric utilities. It would have amounted to de facto ratification of the Kyoto Protocol.

“As President Bush has correctly pointed out, CO2 is not a pollutant at all. It is, in fact a natural substance essential for life on Earth. CO2 is only considered a threat by those who have bought into the hypothesis of catastrophic human-induced global warming, an idea without credible scientific evidence.”

Efforts are still underway on Capitol Hill to regulate CO2. “Hopefully members of Congress realize that CO2 regulations would mean the end of any effort to craft a sound energy policy – and would sabotage the administration’s economic growth agenda.

“Congress would be wise to follow the president’s lead on this issue,” concluded Burns.